The Flat Foot Floogie
The Mills Brothers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Boys, what about a little Flat Foot Floogie?

Oh, with a floy, floy?
Yes, floy, floy
Oh, with a floy, floy
Oh and a one, a two

The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy

The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy

If you're feelin' low down
And don't know what to do
And you wanna show down
Here's the only danse for you

The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy

Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Badoo-badooloo, dam dam

Flat foot floogie (da-da)
Lose that floogie (da-da)
Big foot floogie (da-da)
Badoo-badooloo, dam dam

Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
Bom, bom, bom, bom, ba-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy

The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy

If you're feelin' low down
And you wanna show down

Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy, floy

Floogie (flat foot) flat foot (slew foot)




Floogie (sugar foot) flat foot (cush foot)
Floogie (wing foot, big foot and satchel foot)

Overall Meaning

"The Flat Foot Floogie" is a lively and upbeat song that was popularized by the Mills Brothers, an American jazz and pop vocal quartet, in the 1930s. The song uses playful language and boisterous vocals to encourage listeners to let loose and dance. The repeated refrain of "flat foot floogie with a floy, floy" is a nonsense phrase that adds to the carefree and joyful atmosphere of the song. The brothers suggest that if one is feeling down and wants to cheer up, then dancing the Flat Foot Floogie with a Floy, Floy is the only answer.


The song has a call-and-response pattern between the lead vocals and the rest of the quartet, which adds to the playful and engaging nature of the piece. The repeated interjections of "bang, bang, bang" and "badoo-badooloo, dam dam" punctuate the melody and add to the rhythm. The repetition of the phrase "flat foot floogie" is both nonsensical and memorable, making it a fun and catchy song to sing.


Line by Line Meaning

Boys, what about a little Flat Foot Floogie?
Hey guys, how about we do the Flat Foot Floogie dance?


Oh, with a floy, floy?
Oh, you mean the one with the Floy Floy move?


Yes, floy, floy
That's right, the one where we do the Floy Floy move.


Oh and a one, a two
Let's get started with the dance, one and two and...


If you're feelin' low down
If you're feeling down and out


And don't know what to do
And don't know how to cheer yourself up


And you wanna show down
And you want to let loose


Here's the only danse for you
Then this is the only dance you need to do - the Flat Foot Floogie!


Bang, bang, bang, bang (da-da)
Making the sound effects for the dance moves


Badoo-badooloo, dam dam
More sound effects for the dance moves


Flat foot floogie (da-da)
Calling out the name of the dance


Lose that floogie (da-da)
Encouraging people to dance and have fun


Big foot floogie (da-da)
Another variation of the dance


Badoo-badooloo, dam dam
More sound effects for the dance moves


Floogie (flat foot) flat foot (slew foot)
Naming the different variations of the Flat Foot Floogie dance


Floogie (sugar foot) flat foot (cush foot)
More names for different variations of the dance


Floogie (wing foot, big foot and satchel foot)
Even more names for the different variations of the dance




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Slim Gaillard, Bud Green, Slam Stewart

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@lanceash

YES! I had a cassette like that. I'm trying to put together a list of all the songs on that cassette, but I can only remember about seven. Do you remember what was on it?
aint misbehavin'
tin roof blues
i's a muggin'
that's a plenty
flat foot floogie
do you know what it means (to miss new orleans)
jeepers creepers
struttin with some barbecue (?)



@sussylh4124

Louis Armstrong And The Mills Brothers:Flat Foot Floogie

This song is by Louis Armstrong and The Mills Brothers and appears on the album Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers (1954).

This song is a cover of "The Flat Foot Floogie" by Slim Gaillard.


(The flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy floy, floy floy, floy floy, floy floy)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on swingin' with the gang

Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Flat foot floogie with a floy, floy
Floy, floy, floy, yeah
Send me on out there

Whenever your cares are chronic
Just tell the world, "go hang"
You'll find a greater tonic
If you go on stumblin' with the gang
Hey, hey, hey, yes, yes



All comments from YouTube:

@marthalillard3193

I can still see my mom singing this and dancing around the house as she cooked and cleaned !

@d.b.4201

Amen!! Love it!! 👍

@Chungustav

Odd since it about a prostitute with a drippy venereal disease

@amyowens7050

My mom took.

@dabear2438

My Uncle used to sing this to me when I was a little child. He was born in 1929 so 1938 was right in his era. I sure miss him. Rest in peace, Uncle.

@carolsikkema7136

Both my mom and dad would sing this. They were married in 1938. I used to wonder where these lyrics came from! Good to know.

@edwardtrolz

This makes me remember the time when we only had a radio,

@lili1916

Happy meeting between the great Mills Brothers and 'Satchmo' in this! Thanks for sharing!

@christansdad

Had a cassette tape of 20 of Louis' greatest hits as a young teen. This song...and Indiana were my two favorites.

@lanceash

YES! I had a cassette like that. I'm trying to put together a list of all the songs on that cassette, but I can only remember about seven. Do you remember what was on it?
aint misbehavin'
tin roof blues
i's a muggin'
that's a plenty
flat foot floogie
do you know what it means (to miss new orleans)
jeepers creepers
struttin with some barbecue (?)

More Comments

More Versions